Resting in Resurrection Power - Your Nightly Prayer - April 30th

Resting in Resurrection Power
Your Nightly Prayer 
by Britt Mooney 

TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE 

“The same power that raised Christ from the dead is living in you.” - Romans 8:11

SOMETHING TO PONDER 

My mentor used to say, “God doesn’t give us a baby Holy Spirit.”My wife and I routinely gather up old clothes or things we no longer want or need and donate them to a thrift store. We’ve learned over the years to be careful with this, making sure these items are still in good condition and usable. If it’s trash, we don’t need to insult the poor by giving it to them. We can throw it away ourselves. God doesn’t give us his leftovers. He gives us the best. 

Reading the New Testament, you can feel the awe from these writers regarding what God did and does. He came to be with us as a man. He gave us everything in heaven. God even gives us his Spirit within us. This isn’t a Spirit that never did anything. This is the same Spirit that created the universe, split the Red Sea, all the miracles and works we read in the Bible, and more. And he raised Jesus from the dead. This is the Spirit God gives us. Lives in us. The power of creation, the Creator, lives in us. Walks with us. 

Over Easter, we celebrate what God did through Jesus two thousand years ago, but it continues as a spiritual reality today in all who repent and submit to the Lord. He sustains us every moment with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Mind-blowing. It’s true. And yet it often doesn’t feel true. We feel weak. Tired. Empty. The opposite of this truth. We must recognize that our feelings don’t tell us what is real. They lie to us often. Thankfully, our confidence doesn’t come from our own ability. We have no confidence in ourselves. But we can and should have ultimate and secure confidence in the work of Christ for us, in us, and through us by the Spirit. He loves us that much. 

YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER 

Heavenly Father,
I praise you for giving me not a lesser gift but your very Spirit. You dwell within me with the same power that created the world and raised Jesus from the dead. Strengthen my heart when I feel weak, tired, or empty. Teach me to trust your truth above my feelings. Let your Spirit guide, sustain, and work in and through me each moment as I submit to you as Lord.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen. 

THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON 

1. What happens when you feel discouraged or weak? When you doubt? What thoughts invade your mind? 
2. How have you learned to turn your eyes and thoughts to God’s truth and the work of Christ? How has that helped you be encouraged and have faith in the past? 
3. What are some practical ways you could make this a discipline, to be reminded and rest in the resurrection power of Jesus every day?

Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/shuang paul wang

Britt Mooney lives and tells great stories. As an author of fiction and non-fiction, he is passionate about teaching ministries and nonprofits the power of storytelling to inspire and spread truth. Mooney has a podcast called Kingdom Over Coffee and is a published author of We Were Reborn for This: The Jesus Model for Living Heaven on Earth as well as Say Yes: How God-Sized Dreams Take Flight.

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